Press Conference for a People's Budget

The community came out today to support Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O'Rourke's tax plan that calls for the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share so small businesses and working people can secure the resources they need to thrive. 

Mayor Cherelle Parker's proposed tax plan looks grimly similar to what we’re seeing from the White House: it strips key protections for small businesses while slashing taxes for mega corporations. It is extremely negligent and risky to codify 15 years of tax giveaways to big business at a time of unparalleled instability in recent history. The budget proposal takes money that would go to poor and working class Philadelphians, and to small businesses, and redistributes it to ultra-wealthy billionaires. It gives tax breaks to the rich while gutting our critical public services like libraries, schools, parks, and sanitation. 

That's why Amistad is one of over 30 community organizations in The Alliance for a Just Philadelphia calling for a People's Budget that will give our communities the resources we need to thrive. 

At the press conference, Councilmember Brooks said, “Tax cuts for big corporations don’t help grow savings for families who want to own a home someday.” She reminded us that the small businesses abandoned by the city’s proposed tax plan include the owners of food trucks, barber shops, nail salons—80% of these small businesses will see their taxes raised without the BIRT exemption she’s fighting to keep and expand.

Nikki Grant said: “The only thing that trickles down from trickle-down economics is pain for our vulnerable neighbors. Tax cuts don’t happen in a vacuum. We have to be realistic about how we’re getting those dollars and responsible about who the burden of getting those dollars falls on.”

Councilmember O’Rourke reminded us, “Inequality is one of the most urgent moral issues of our time. It’s a window into what this economic system—what this leadership—values and prioritizes.”

For the next two months, Philadelphia City Council will hold hearings and town halls about the budget proposal. Join us in calling for $20 million for mobile crisis teams, along with investments in the public goods and social services that create real community safety. Sign up here to get involved in the fight for a budget that prioritizes the needs of all our communities.